Christmas Memories
by Revolutionary Venom
Summary: A Ronin reflects on his past. I KNOW THIS IS LATE, and the summary sucks, but I'm not good at them


Hi everybody! Okay, this started out as a Christmas story, (and that was the intent) but since I had to leave town, and was busy, I couldn't even get this up before New Year's Eve or Day. So, I'm REALLY late with this story. Sorry \/_\/

Also! Two things; if you haven't read "Exams Can Always Lead to Trouble" a few things said in this story might confuse you. So go read it. NOW.

2nd item of business is that this has another OC. I know people usually don't like original characters, because that usually means Mary Sue. NOPE. Not here! This is a "what if" kind of deal that my brain was toying with, so…try to enjoy ^^;

Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors don't belong to me. Never have, never will

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_* "Is ni-chan any bettewr today?" a small three year old asked his father as the two walked down a hospital hall. His father smiled. "I think ni-chan's feeling much better today," he told the small child. "Will he wike the pwesent I made for him?" the little boy asked. His father laughed. "I'm sure he most certainly will little one," he said. _

_They reached their destination when they came upon a patient's room door. The older man opened it, the little boy running in to see his mother and sibling. "Mama! Ni-chan!" the little boy exclaimed excitedly. "Hello my special little guy," the boy's mother said, taking him into her arms and hugging him, but not so tight as to hurt to the child she was now carrying. _

"_Hi little brother," the oldest child greeted, sitting up in the hospital bed. _

_The little child smiled a big smile. "Ni-chan!" he exclaimed, scrambling out of his mother's arms, onto the hospital bed, sitting next to his older brother. _

"_I didn't know you were visiting today," the eldest said. "He wanted it to be a surprise," their father told him. "He has a present for you."_

"_Is that true little brother?" the elder brother asked, giving his younger sibling a smile._

_The youngest nodded, jumping off the bed, racing to a sack on the floor that their father had brought in, and pulled some things out. "I made these fowr you ni-chan," the little one said, putting it on his brother's bed. _

_The oldest one smiled. "Get well cranes." He picked them up and placed them on the nightstand next to the bed. "Thank you little one. Now I have something for you."_

_The younger one looked confused. "But how? You can't weave the hospitawl," he said, climbing onto the bed. _

"_But I-" the eldest started, but was cut off when he fell into a coughing fit. His mother sat next to him, putting a cloth in front of his mouth. "Cover your mouth with this," she instructed. He took it, covering his mouth. When his hysterics calmed, he removed the cloth to reveal small splotches of blood on it. _

"_Ni-chan? You okay?" the small child next to him asked. "I'm fine little one," his older brother answered, his mother taking the cloth and getting off the bed. "Does your chest hurt big guy?" his father asked him. _

"_Not really." The older sibling opened a drawer in the nightstand, pulling a small, simple brown box out and giving it to the small child sitting with him. "This is for you," he told his brother. "I know you like it, so I wanted to give it to you." _

_The younger one stared at the box for a moment before opening it. He had a confused look on his face as he pulled out...*_

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Sunlight was pouring through a window into the teen's bedroom. _Go away you stupid sun,_ he thought, pulling the covers up over his face. But he opened his eyes anyway, staring into space.

_I thought that I had forgotten that memory,_ he thought. _But I don't want to forget ni-chan. _He shook his head. _What's wrong with me? Why am I remembering all this stuff? I'm not usually this emotional, especially when it comes to that....I guess it's just the fact that tomorrow's Christmas...._

"Kento! C'mon down! It's time for breakfast!"

The warrior slowly sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, ignoring the pain from his sides from previous injuries. _Guess I better put on my tough guy act,_ he thought, getting out of bed, dressing. _Even though I'm depressed, I can't have the guys worry 'bout me. They'll think I'm sick or somethin'._

As soon as he pulled his shirt on, he left the room, heading downstairs to the kitchen. On his way, he spotted White Blaze eating his own breakfast out of a giant food dish. "Mornin' Blaze," Kento greeted. The tiger ignored him and kept eating. Kento just walked into the kitchen, being greeted warmly by his friends.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to get his lazy butt out of bed," Rowen said, leaning back in the chair he was in. "Tch, I'd be one to talk," Kento said, leaning on the counter. "I slept in just this once, where as you my friend, are always asleep until two or three in the afternoon."

"He's got a point Rowen," Cye told him, taking out the last batch of muffins out of the oven. "Even though you got up early once, that still doesn't account for all the times _you've_ slept in and we've had to get _you _out of bed." He put the muffins on a plate where some others were sitting and placed them on the table. "Careful, they're still hot," he warned.

Ryo plucked one off the plate and started eating. "So Kento, why'd you sleep in this morning? You're usually up at nine and it's ten-thirty," he said. Hardrock shrugged and picked up a muffin. "Just had a weird dream, that's all," he lied, taking a big bite out of the muffin. "Where's Sage?"

"I think he went out shopping earlier," Cye said. Kento accepted this answer, taking his daily prescribed painkiller so that his sides wouldn't hurt for awhile.

Rowen piped up. "So what was your dream about Kento?" he asked. Kento shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, taking a nearby glass of water and downing it.

"C'mon Kento, it wasn't that bad was it?" asked Ryo.

"I SAID I don't want to talk about it," Hardrock said sharply. "Whoa there, did we say something? Kento, just tell us," Rowen said. "It couldn't have been that bad-"

"LAY OFF BLUE-BOY! JUST GET OFF MY CASE!!" Kento exclaimed, looking extremely upset. He went out the door that led to the porch and slammed it as he left.  
"What was THAT about?" Ryo asked. "You just _had_ to keep pushing his buttons," Cye said. "He said he didn't want to talk about it, but you two kept poking at him. The both of you ought to be ashamed."

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Kento had walked so far away from the mansion that he didn't really realize that he had reached Sage's meditation spot until he came upon it. _Now what do I do? I didn't mean to snap, but Rowen just kept wanting to know what it was about. He just doesn't know when to quit._

_But...neither did ni-chan._

Kento sat on a boulder that was in the center of everything. _Guess I know why Sage likes coming here so much. It's beautiful here._

The slab of granite that Hardrock sat on was in the center of a clearing that was surrounded by trees. A small pond, which was now iced over, was in the clearing, encircled by the trees and now dead bushes. Everything in the clearing, except for the boulder the teen sat on, was layered in a blanket of snow.

_This place must be so pretty in the spring, _Kento thought. _Too bad it's winter. It's so sad here, and it feels like you're the only person in the world...but I guess that's what it feels like to be lonely. _

Kento looked at his left wrist, which, like the rest of his injuries, was still healing after the incident with the warlords a while back. _What would've happened if you were still alive ni-chan? Would you wear the armor and carry the curse I do? Or would I have still been the one?_

Hardrock slid off the boulder and sat against it on the ground. He brought a hand to his face, wanting to warm it up with his hands, but found they were wet with tears. _Why am I crying? I shouldn't be...I can't cry about something so stupid...._

But the teen pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs and cried...

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_**Later that night…**_

"Guys, I'm worried about Kento."

Sage, Ryo and Rowen all looked over to Cye, who was pulling some cinnamon rolls out of the oven. "Why are you worried Cye?"

"Unless any of you have seen Kento since this morning, then you would be worried too," the cook answered, placing the cinnamon rolls on the table. "Have any of you seen him?"

The other three warriors looked at each other, then to Cye. "Sorry buddy, but none of us have seen him since this morning," Ryo said. "I wonder where he went to after he ran out," Rowen wondered.

Sage stood up from his chair, going to the sink to put his teacup in it. He looked out the window behind the sink and sighed. "It's snowing again," he said.

A line then struck a chord in Cye. "Guys? You don't think he's out there...do you?" he asked fearfully. The other three looked at him. "Whadaya mean Cye?" Ryo asked.

"You don't think he's out there in this weather, do you?" Torrent asked again. The others hesitated. "He could be," Rowen said, standing up. "But he's not that stupid..."

"Unless his emotions were clouding his judgment," Sage said, glaring at Rowen and Ryo. "What did we do?!" Ryo exclaimed, noting Sage's stare. "Cye told me about what happened this morning," Halo answered. "And he was right, the two of you should be ashamed of yourselves-"

"Guys, please!" Cye begged. "No more fighting, we have to go out there and find Kento. Who knows what kind of trouble he could've gotten in."

"Cye's right," Sage said. "Right now we've got to find him and make sure he's all right." He and Cye pulled out their orbs and powered up to subarmor. "Are you two coming?" asked Torrent. "I'm coming with you guys," Rowen said, following suit. "I'll stay here in case Kento wonders back," Ryo said.

"All right then, let's go," Sage declared, the three of them leaving through the back door.....

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"Kento! Kento! Where are you?!"

Hardrock was awakened by these words. _Where am I?_ he thought. _I...I'm on the ground.....but why is it so cold? I feel like I've been stuck in a freezer all day. _He tried to sit himself up, but lacking the necessary strength to do so, he fell back to the ground, shutting his eyes. _It's so cold...I hurt all over…and I'm so tired...please, help me...somebody..._

"Wake up little one."

Kento opened his eyes and looked up to see someone, but he couldn't tell who it was. "Wh'ryou?" he asked, his speech slurring. "It doesn't matter who I am," the other person told him, taking a blanket and wrapping it around him. "What matters right now is you staying awake. If you try and fall asleep, that won't help your friends any."

"My....friends?" Kento asked. "Yes, they are all looking for you," the mystery man told him. "They've been worried sick about you."

"KENTO!!! Where are you?!?!"

"Do you see what I mean?" the person asked. "Don't worry, they'll find you. You'll be back with them soon and everything will be just fine."

Upon saying that, Sage ran into the clearing and saw them. "Kento!" he exclaimed, rushing to his friend's side. "Hey don't worry, you're gonna be okay," Sage told him, sitting him up, not acknowledging the other person. Hardrock looked at the person on his other side, pulled an arm out of the blanket and tried to reach for him. "Hey Kento its okay, I'm right here," Sage said, taking a firm hold the shivering teen's hand. "Don't go to sleep okay?"

Kento looked up at Sage. "Sage..." he said, before he closed his eyes. "Kento! Don't do this, don't go to sleep!" Halo exclaimed. "Kento...!"

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_*....The small boy looked confused as he looked at the music box in his hand. "Why arwe you giving me this?" he asked, looking up to his brother. "Because I know you like it," his sibling told him. "But it's yours ni-chan," chibi Kento said. _

_His father coughed. "I think I'm going to go get something to eat," he said. "C'mon Lien, you need to eat too. You have the baby to think about also." _

_His wife nodded, standing from her seat. "Can you two behave for about ten minutes?" she asked, her husband holding her arm to help her balance. The older of the two nodded. "We'll be good Mom," he said. Lien nodded, smiling to them. "We'll be right back you two." With that, the couple left._

_Chibi Kento looked back up to his brother. "Ni-chan?" _

"_I have something I need to tell you little brother," the elder said. _

"_What is it?"_

"_You need to be strong for Mom and Dad. I'm not going to be here much longer, and-" __He stopped for a second, removing his glasses to wipe away the tears in his eyes. "I don't want to leave you little brother, but I have to."_

"_Why ni-chan?!" Chibi Kento exclaimed. "Why can't you stay? I don't want you to go 'way..." he sniffled, rubbing the tears from his eyes. _

_The elder brother hugged the small child. "I don't want to either, but please, don't be sad." He listened to his younger brother's sniffles for a few moments. "Little brother, I'm not asking you to understand yet, but please, just be strong for our parent's sake. They'll need you after I'm gone."_

"_But what if I forget you?" Little Kento asked. "You won't," his brother answered. "If you truly love someone, you'll never forget them. They'll always have a special place in your memories and your heart. Just remember that if anything..."_

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Hardrock slowly opened his eyes, letting his vision clear. The other four warriors looked down at him and smiled. "Where'm I?" asked Hardrock. He noticed that it wasn't cold anymore. Actually, he felt quite warm from the inside out, and he wasn't hurting anymore.

"You're back in our room," Cye said, placing a hand on Kento's forehead. "You're extremely lucky. You got hypothermia and were out all of last night."

Kento looked confused. "Last night?" he asked. "Yeah, dont'cha remember?" asked Rowen, Torrent removing his hand. Kento shook his head, but not without giving himself a dull ache in his head. "Sage found you at his meditation spot," Ryo said.

A chord of familiarity struck Kento. "What happened to the other guy?" he asked. The others looked confused. "What are you talking about? What other guy?" Cye questioned. The teen in question attempted to sit up, succeeding but not without hurting his sides, pushing off the covers that he was layered with. "The other guy at the clearing," he answered. "He was telling me to stay awake because all of you were looking for me. He wrapped me in a blanket and right after he told me that everything would be okay, Sage came running in."

Rowen, Ryo and Cye all looked at Sage, then at Kento. "There wasn't any other person there besides me," Halo told him. "Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?"

"I'm sure," Kento said. "I felt him. I felt the blanket, everything."

Sage looked at the others, before reaching under the bed, pulling out something, and putting it on Hardrock's lap. "You were wrapped up in this, but we didn't see anyone else there," Halo told him. Kento looked down at the blanket. There was nothing too special about it, it looked just like an ordinary worn-out plaid blanket.

"Anyway," Cye said, attempting to change the subject. "Now that it's officially Christmas, that means that we all get to open presents." He looked down to Kento. "Are you feeling strong enough to come downstairs?"  
Hardrock looked up to him and nodded. "I think an injured warrior can manage that much," he answered...

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The daylight had faded into darkness, with Strata and Wildfire apologizing for the day before. Hardrock forgave them of course.

Kento sat in the windowsill seat in his and Cye's room now, wrapped up in the blanket the others had claimed to have found him in. _Who was that guy? He found me and helped me, even though I didn't know him. _He unwrapped himself of the cover and inspected it once again. _There doesn't seem to be anything different or out of the ordinary, _he thought. But suddenly, something caught his eye that he hadn't noticed earlier.

The initials Y.R.F. were beautifully monogrammed on a corner of the blanket. Kento's eyes grew wide.

_**Yoshio?!**__ How can this be?!? He's gone! How did _**I** _end up with his blanket?_

Then it suddenly hit him. _He was the one that saved me......He was the one that said that everything would be okay....ni-chan, you're still looking out for me, aren't you? _Kento brought the blanket close to himself and hugged it, tears glistening. _Even after you died, you didn't forget me._

_Thank you ni-chan._

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This was just something that, while filler, introduces someone everyone will get to see in great detail later. His name is Yoshio, an elder brother I created. Yup, that was the "OMG" twist. Worthy of Shyamalan? In a way, I kinda hope not. I don't like his movies ^^;

Anyway, I'll probably put up a profile for Yoshio on my profile sometime if anyone cares. Just….hope you liked it enough to review!


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